Source: Supplied.

An all-new rookie combination at Monster Yamaha Tech3 debuted at the Valencia MotoGP tests, with Jonas Folger and Johann Zarco impressing immensely by the end of Wednesday’s second and final day.

French talent Folger turned heads with another superb performance as he finished the test inside the top 10 on combined times, with a laptime that was only 0.973 from the top of the standings.

“Overall it was a very successful time for us and we can leave feeling happy about what we achieved,” Folger reflected. “The plan was to carry on from where we finished yesterday, which meant that I continued to work a lot on my riding style. We completed many laps and it was a long day, but we collected a large quantity of data, which we needed to gather.

“Also, the Tech3 team and I started to alter the bike slightly to see which direction that we could possibly head towards in the future. I still need to adjust my riding style with regards to running the worn tyres, but on the whole, it was a positive day and I was able to round it off by setting a good lap time.”

Reigning two-time Moto2 world champion teammate Zarco was marginally behind in 11th overall at the conclusion of day two, posting a 1m31.015s. The pair was split by just 0.067s at the end of their official debut together.

“Today was really positive and I am truly satisfied about the work that we undertook,” Zarco said. “As soon as we started this morning, I was able to run at a similar pace to yesterday, where I was pushing, so it was good to have a bike that I was comfortable with and that I could be fast on straight away.

“Every time that I left the pit box, I was stronger and I improved my lap times quite consistently. The Tech3 team did a super job and I was able to adapt my riding style more to suit the Yamaha. I am feeling more confident on the M1 and a 1m31.0s lap is a great target to achieve, plus I was only one second from the front which is a solid way to close the test.”